UKRAINE
Five years ago, addressing Ukrainian politicians in Kiev, John Paul II had said: “Your task consists in serving the people, and in guaranteeing peace and equality of rights to everyone. You must resist the temptation to use power for your own interests or the interests of some restricted groups”. “Especially today we note that these words have lost none of their actuality”, declared the archbishop major of Kiev-Lvov and head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church (UGCC), Cardinal Lubomyr Husar, announcing the celebrations marking the fifth anniversary of John Paul II’s visit to the country (23-25 June 2001), held in Kiev in recent days. “We wish to recall – added Cardinal Husar – the words addressed by this man, the highest recognized moral authority of his time, to politicians, artists, youth and religious exponents and we wish to find in them solutions for our political, social and religious problems”. Present at the celebrations, apart from Cardinal Husar himself, were Monsignor Ivan Yurkovych, apostolic nuncio in Ukraine, and Ivan Dziuba, member of the National Academy of Sciences. The President of Ukraine, Viktor Yushchenko, also participated in the commemorative meeting, and welcomed those present. The book “Pope and Ukraine” (published by Duliby) was presented during the celebrations, which were entirely funded by an association of businessmen under the aegis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Patriarchate of Moscow. An exhibition of photographs by Vasyl’ Pylypjuk “Ukraine, I Pray for You!”, illustrating John Paul II’s visit to Kiev and Lvov, was also held.
